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Category: Issue 3 2026

Issue 3/2026: When human rights end

Click here to become a member of New Eastern Europe and get access to this issue plus all previous issues To purchase a single copy of the issue click here In 1975, the Helsinki Final Act was signed, marking a landmark moment that introduced human rights into the framework of the international legal and political order. […]

April 21, 2026 - New Eastern Europe

When human rights defenders are imprisoned, it is a litmus test for democracy

An interview with Ales Bialiatski, human rights defender, Nobel Peace Prize winner and former Belarusian political prisoner. Interviewer: Nasta Zakharevich

April 21, 2026 - Ales Bialiatski Nasta Zakharevich

Of course human rights still matter

The question of whether human rights still matter is increasingly appearing in public discussion. Often asked by those eager to sideline dignity in favour of security, it suggests a world that has lost its moral nerve. Yet in an age of digital authoritarianism and climate crisis, human rights remain an essential tool for resisting unaccountable power.

April 21, 2026 - Barbora Bukovská

Rights in the age of the new autocracy

If we only focus on the limits of human rights, we tend to overlook their deeper function in the resilience of democracy. While enforcement can fall short, the existence of powerful legal standards still influences political contestation and slows down the process of institutional erosion, even in the age of new authoritarianism.

April 21, 2026 - Zuzana Pavlíčková

When international institutions fail

Whether in Bucha, Gaza or Tehran, international law and multilateral and regional organizations have failed to prevent war and human rights violations. This chaos is both a moral failure and a security threat, especially for Europe, which must confront these challenges while being sidelined from global affairs.

April 21, 2026 - Anaïs Marin

Georgia’s democracy is being quietly strangled

Georgia’s democratic decline has arrived quietly through procedural changes and repressive laws disguised as promoting transparency. Yet the cumulative effect is unmistakable: a former success story is being hijacked by an authoritarian regime systematically capturing its institutions. The question is no longer whether Georgia’s democracy is eroding, but whether that erosion has now become irreversible.

April 21, 2026 - George Melashvili

Armenia’s civil rights under scrutiny ahead of elections

Armenia’s democratic transition is entering a new phase as the country approaches parliamentary elections in June. While reforms have strengthened political competition and civil society, persistent institutional weaknesses and growing polarization continue to shape the landscape. The state of human rights will be central to how this next test unfolds.

April 21, 2026 - Anna Vardanyan

Repressions in Belarus continue

An interview with Veranika Stankevich, coordinator of Volnyja, an organization that works with former Belarusian political prisoners. Interviewer Emily Macrae

April 21, 2026 - Emily Macrae Veranika Stankevich

New Persian Gulf war puts Iranian Azerbaijanis in the spotlight

The recent American and Israeli military operation against Iran ignited a new and serious crisis between Baku and Tehran. According to Azerbaijan, on March 5th this year Iran attacked Azerbaijani territory with drones, injuring several people and stoking widespread fear that the new Persian Gulf war could spill into the South Caucasus.

April 21, 2026 - Natalia Konarzewska

The politics of reforming Ukraine’s wartime lifeline

Ukraine has a unitary railway system. The state-owned company, Ukrzaliznytsia, has a monopoly on the railways and operates passenger and freight services. This means competition is virtually non-existent. Such a model is not accepted in the European Union.

April 21, 2026 - Jakub Łoginow

Ballots under fire. Elections during war?

Consensus in Ukraine is that in order to hold elections, a ceasefire would first be necessary. Yet even if a genuine ceasefire were secured, urgent questions would follow. Ukraine thus faces a dilemma few modern democracies have encountered on such a scale: how to safeguard the integrity of elections while fighting for the state’s very survival.

April 21, 2026 - Mariia Didkovska

Populism and motherhood

Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s regime in Belarus has declared 2026 the “Year of the Belarusian Woman”. Under this banner, it has launched a large-scale media campaign promoting families and celebrating mothers. Not new to Belarus, the instrumentalization of family policy reflects a broader global pattern in which populist regimes appeal to traditional values and mobilize anti-gender narratives.

April 21, 2026 - Tatsiana Astrouskaya

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